FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a process for recovering hydrocarbons from a subterranean hydrocarbon-bearing formation penetrated by an injection well and a production well wherein a drive fluid such as water containing dissolved therein:
(a) a small amount of a nonionic surfactant and PA1 (b) a small amount of an anionic sulfonate or sulfate surfactant is utilized to displace hydrocarbons in the formation toward a production well. PA1 (A) injecting into the formation via an injection well a drive fluid comprising water having dissolved therein: PA1 (B) forcing the said fluid through the formation and PA1 (C) recovering hydrocarbons through the production well.
The production of petroleum products is usually accomplished by drilling into a hydrocarbon-bearing formation and utilizing one of the well-known recovery methods for the recovery of hydrocarbons. However, it is recognized that these primary recovery techniques may recover only a minor portion of the petroleum products present in the formation particularly when applied to reservoirs of viscous crudes. Even the use of improved recovery practices involving heating, miscible flooding, water flooding and steam processing may still leave up to 70-80 percent of the original hydrocarbons in place.
Thus, many large reserves of petroleum fluids from which only small recoveries have been realized by present commercial recovery methods, are yet to reach a potential recovery approaching their estimated oil-in-place.
Water flooding is one of the more widely practiced secondary recovery methods. A successful water flood may result in recovery of 30-50 percent of the original hydrocarbons left in place. However, generally the application of water flooding to many crudes results in much lower recoveries.
The newer development in recovery methods for heavy crudes is the use of steam injection which has been applied in several modifications, including the "push-pull" technique and through-put methods, and has resulted in significant recoveries in some areas. Crude recovery of this process is enhanced through the beneficial effects of the drastic viscosity reduction that accompanies an increase in temperature. This reduction in viscosity facilitates the production of hydrocarbons since it improves their mobility, i.e., it increases their ability to flow.
However, the application of these secondary recovery techniques to depleted formations may leave major quantities of oil-in-place, since the crude is tightly bound to the sand particles of the formation, that is, the sorptive capacity of the sand for the crude is great. In addition, interfacial tension between the immiscible phases results in entrapping crude in the pores, thereby reducing recovery. Another disadvantage is the tendency of the aqueous drive fluid to finger, since its viscosity is considerably less than that of the crude, thereby reducing the efficiency of the processes. Another disadvantage is the tendency of the aqueous drive fluid to remove additional gas by diffusion from the in-place oil thus further reducing the already lowered formation oil volume and increasing the viscosity of the oil.
The salinity sensitivity of the most desirable surfactants for use in oil recovery has a substantial impact on the economics of a proposed supplement recovery operation employing a surfactant. While it has been generally recognized in the industry for many years that surfactants capable of reducing the interfacial tension between the injected fluid and the formation petroleum would improve the oil recovery efficiency of a supplemental oil recovery program, it has never been demonstrated that the additional oil which can be recovered under field conditions is sufficient to justify the cost of the surfactant. This is especially true because of the enormous quantity of surfactant which must be employed in a field, in order to have a significant effect on the displacement efficiency. If high formation water salinity results in a shift in surfactant choice to a higher cost material or if a greater concentration of surfactant must be used, the cost of a surfactant flood will be increased substantially. It is known, however, that many millions of barrels of oil remain unrecovered in a petroleum reservoir at the conclusion of conventional water flooding operations, and with an impending shortage of readily recoverable crude oil, it is becoming a matter of paramount national importance to devise a reasonably economical method of recovering this oil.
There is a definite need in the art for a water flooding process employing surfactants which will function effectively in formations containing high salinity fluids and especially where such fluids contain a high concentration of divalent ions such as Ca.sup.++ and Mg.sup.++.